Regulars

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who habitually visit and frequent a specific location such as a restaurant or bar ; soldiers who belong to a permanent military force enlisted for ongoing service
2. People who repeatedly attend the same establishment and are well-known there ; trained military personnel enlisted for extended periods as part of official armed forces
3. Those who regularly return to a particular venue and are recognized by staff and clientele ; professional members of a standing army enlisted for continuous duty

Etymology: "Regulars" is the plural of "regular," and the noun sense, a person who keeps coming back to a shop, pub or club, grows directly out of the adjective. The adjective comes from Latin "rēgulāris," meaning "continuing rules for guidance," built on "rēgula," "rule." That Latin word is itself a diminutive-style form of "rēgere," to lead or direct, which traces back to a very old root meaning to move in a straight line, the same idea of keeping to a line that gives us "rule" and "ruler." The word reached English through Anglo-Norman and Middle French forms, arriving as "reguler" in Middle English. Its early sense was about conforming to a rule or standard, so a regular thing was one that followed an established pattern. The idea of regularity as habit then made the leap from rules to people: someone who turns up on a predictable schedule is, in effect, following a rule of their own.

Synonyms: habituals, frequenters

Antonyms: irregulars, occasional